New: Austin, Travis County urges everyone to wear masks and for unvaccinated residents to stay home as COVID-19 cases surge bit.ly/2W9zrPD
This comes as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread across the state, particularly impacting unvaccinated residents. bit.ly/3hZfnIg
Of the 8,787 people who have died in Texas due to COVID-19 since early February, at least 43 were fully vaccinated, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. bit.ly/3y5sU6S
Most chain pharmacies and many independent ones have a ready supply of COVID-19 vaccine, which is administered free and mainly on a walk-in basis.
Many private doctors' offices have it. And you can check which large vaccine hubs are still operating here: bit.ly/3kG8ahX
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Gov. Greg Abbott says he will not impose another statewide mask mandate, despite COVID-19 cases being on the rise again. bit.ly/3rnxdYC
As the delta variant has spread, some key pandemic indicators have increased in Texas. The state’s positivity rate — the ratio of cases to tests — went above 10% for the first time since February, a threshold that Abbott previously identified as dangerous. bit.ly/3eGVXpH
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said this month that preliminary data from several states over the past six months suggests that 99.5% of COVID-19 deaths have occurred among the unvaccinated. bit.ly/3BlcWrf
1/ Hundreds of thousands of Texans face eviction for non-payment over the next few months. In Texas, individual judges have to decide whether to uphold the eviction moratorium.
This is one family’s journey facing eviction.
2/ After spending more than 40 years in the oil fields, Larry Havens got sick and couldn’t work anymore. Rent was the highest bill he was paying, and when he fell behind Havens thought he could catch up. He couldn’t.
3/ Havens and his wife Amy Clark faced being evicted out of the trailer they’ve been living in since last year.
BREAKING: Texas House Democrats plan to flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring Legislature to a halt bit.ly/3xFP4w8
The GOP is moving to ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options, enhance access for partisan poll watchers and prohibit local election officials from proactively distributing applications to request mail-in ballots. bit.ly/3e7kEeE
Ultimately, Democrats lack the votes to keep the Republican-controlled Legislature from passing new voting restrictions, along with the other conservative priorities on Gov. Greg Abbott’s 11-item agenda for the special legislative session. bit.ly/3r97cvR
Breaking: Texas GOP Chairman Allen West announced that he is running for governor, challenging fellow Republican Greg Abbott. bit.ly/3dHnDtX
Since his election as Texas GOP chair in July of last year when he soundly beat then-incumbent James Dickey, West has criticized Abbott's coronavirus response and sought to push the governor's legislative agenda further to the right. bit.ly/3hwNlT7
Abbott has mostly ignored West's attacks.
But the governor has increasingly catered to his right flank in recent months as he has appeared to try to tamp down on potential vulnerabilities ahead of his #TX2022 reelection campaign. bit.ly/3ymx6ii
Authors say Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin canceled book event examining slavery’s role in Battle of the Alamo after Texas GOP leaders complained bit.ly/3wijfIe
Authors of the book titled “Forget the Alamo,” and the publisher Penguin Random House say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders, and an overreaction to the book’s examination of racism in Texas history.
“The Bullock was receiving increased pressure on social media about hosting the event, as well as to the museum’s board of directors (Gov. Abbott being one of them) and decided to pull out as a co-host all together,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.
House Bill 1468 was designed so Texas students could continue remote learning with the state footing the bill.
It stalled at the last #TXlege session, leaving plans for school next year up in the air — including for students with disabilities. bit.ly/2UQ9hAM
There are many reasons why disabled students might not want to return to in-person school. Authors of a recent study found Texas school reopenings may have led to at least 43,000 additional COVID-19 cases and 800 additional fatalities within the first two months.
In addition to COVID-19 concerns, students with mobility issues found it easier to be at home when their schools aren’t built for students like them. Autistic students might have trouble wearing masks for long periods of time.